Federal Gas Tax Award for Town of Blue Mountains

08/18/2009

Ottawa, Ontario, August 18, 2009. Federal Minister of State, Gordon O’Connor and AMO President Peter Hume presented a 2009 AMO Federal Gas Tax Award to the Town of The Blue Mountains for using solar power to illuminate town signage in Thornbury.Installed in 2007, it is estimated to eliminate 124.8 kg of carbon emissions each year and save the municipality approximately $1,300 a month.

“The Town of Blue Mountain’s project stands out for being a smart, money-saving idea with big benefits,” said Peter Hume, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). “The signage is an example of the practical uses of renewable energy and sends a message of environmental stewardship to every town resident and visitor.”

The Federal Gas Tax Funding provides municipalities with long-term, stable and predictable funding for environmentally sustainable infrastructure that helps achieve cleaner water, cleaner air, or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Project categories include public transit, local roads and bridges, water and wastewater, solid waste management and community energy systems. It can also be applied to Capacity Building projects that help communities achieve sustainability.

In Ontario, the Federal Gas Tax Fund commits more than $4.8 billion to Ontario’s communities for sustainable infrastructure between 2005 and 2014.

“The Federal Gas Tax Fund is an example of what can be achieved when all orders of government work together to together to address the pressing need for infrastructure investment in Ontario,” said Hume. “Funding is supporting hundreds of important infrastructure projects and is critical to job creation, Ontario's competitiveness and environmental sustainability.”

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) is a non-profit organization representing almost all of Ontario’s 444 municipal governments and provides a variety of services and products to members and non-members.